


Requiem

by TheSonsofDurin



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 10:48:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14471007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSonsofDurin/pseuds/TheSonsofDurin
Summary: In the aftermath of Thanos's genocide, Steve tries to come to terms with the casualties.





	Requiem

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry, but I saw Infinity War today and I couldn't get the idea out of my head.

It isn’t the first time that Bucky has died in front of him. Steve had watched Bucky fall from the train and he’d thought that was the end of his friend. He’d had nightmares; dreaming about a thousand ways the mission could have gone differently. Most of them still ended with Bucky dying. Not always from falling from the train.

And before, when he was touring as a propaganda man, he’d had nightmares still. He’d watched Bucky fall to gunfire, fall to bombs, fall to sickness. Steve had waited every day for news that he would never see his friend again. Hearing that Bucky had been taken as a prisoner of war, or worse, had been the reality of that.

Steve had gotten Bucky back. Really back, as changed as Steve himself but still James Buchanan Barnes, or at least once again that man. Seventy years later. Brainwashing, killing, regrets, secrets. Even though the fate of the world was at stake Steve had rejoiced in the realization that they were once again reunited.

And then they’d failed to stop Thanos and Steve had watched Bucky turn to dust in front of him.

He stares at the spot where the dust had fallen. He can’t think of anything to do or say. All that he knows is pain; deep, gut-wrenching pain as he realizes that this time, there’s no coming back. There really isn’t a body this time. It isn’t comforting, that knowledge. There’s no Bucky Barnes because Bucky Barnes turned to dust in front of him with only a name spoken.

Steve.

Bucky’s last word was his name.

Steve touches the grass.

There’s no tears. He’s already cried them for other people, on other occasions. He’s numb, really. Numb to everything, like he’s watching everything through a camera and this is someone else’s life and not his. He doesn’t know anyone here.

And then all at once the illusion is shattered and he looks up to see others looking as lost as he feels. Steve makes no effort to get up. Instead, he lets everything carry on around him. There’s screaming, and crying, from the warriors scattered around the battlefield. His old- reassembled?- teammates stumble around.

He knows he should be a leader. It’s what he does. But he looks back down at the unassuming grass and decides that for right now, he’s just a regular man that has watched everything become undone around him.


End file.
